This invention relates to a marine stern drive with an improved fluid inspection reservoir.
It is desired to provide a clear inspection reservoir inboard of a boat having a stern drive unit for easy observing of the level and condition of lubricating fluid within the unit.
Broadly, it is known to provide such a reservoir. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,817. In that patent, an underwater drive unit has a lubricant chamber 32 therein which is connected through the bottom 10 of a boat and to a clear inspection chamber 85 mounted within the boat and which is connected to the intake manifold of an inboard engine 12.
Reference is also made to the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/160,587, filed Feb. 26, 1988, by Gary L. Meisenburg et al, entitled "Marine Stern Drive With Through-Housing Lubrication System", and assigned to a common assignees. In that application, a transparent container is mounted to the inner transom wall of a boat and is solely connected to the oil passages in the stern drive unit. The container is provided with a removable cap having a one-way valve therein. The valve prevents outward leakage of lubricant fluid from the container, but permits inward passage of air so that, during engine and drive unit cooling, lubricant can be sucked back into the system through the drive housings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide various container concepts including: incorporating an improved one-way valve associated with the container, incorporating a device to provide a warning of low or high lubricant levels within the container, and incorporating a device within the container to effectively lower the lubricant pressure within the stern drive unit when the drive is running and hot.
In accordance with the various concepts of the invention, the removable cap of the transparent reservoir container is provided with a Vernay check valve of the one-way type, which provides enhanced reliability during both the running and at-rest conditions of the stern drive. The cap may be provided with an automatic lubricant level warning device which extends downwardly into the container. In another embodiment, the warning device is spaced from the cap and extends upwardly into the container. In yet another embodiment, the container may be provided with a spring loaded diaphragm which is movably responsive to the lubricant pressure within the stern drive unit.